Posted on 04/25/2002 6:43:43 AM PDT by Mom_Grandmother
European Law Could Ban Distribution Of Old Testament
By Mike Wendling
CNSNews.com London Bureau Chief
April 24, 2002
London (CNSNews.com) - A proposed European Union law against racism could ban some children's stories and even the Old Testament, a British legislator said Wednesday.
Lord Richard Scott told colleagues that a suggested harmonization of European anti-racism laws would "almost certainly" ban children's stories such as the Biggles series, a popular set of British adventure novels.
Based on a fictional World War I pilot, the books were written by Capt. W. E. Johns starting in the 1930s. Main characters in the novels refer to "natives," "coons," "half-castes" and "half-breeds" and use nationality-specific slurs such as "Huns" and "Japs."
The EU proposal could also censor religious texts, Lord Scott said.
"It would probably cover the distribution of the Old Testament as well," he said. "I don't know what the government's reaction to this particular proposal will be. I imagine it will be a mixture of horror and laughter."
As an independent Law Lord, Scott is part of a special subgroup of Britain's upper chamber of Parliament with expertise on legal matters. The Law Lords also serve as a final court of appeal for certain judicial cases.
Lord Scott was speaking during a debate on proposals for a Europe-wide arrest warrant. He said that offenses of racism and xenophobia under the EU law needed to be made "much more specific."
"If any member state creates offences on these lines ... we in this country would be expected to extradite the accused under a (universal) European arrest warrant," he said.
Home Office minister Lord Rooker of the ruling Labor Party said a bill in line with the EU proposals would be introduced in Parliament before the legislature's summer recess begins in August.
The EU legislation, introduced in the wake of Sept. 11, would outlaw "public incitement to violence or hatred for racist or xenophobic reasons and directing, supporting or participating in the activities of a racist or xenophobic group." Racism and xenophobia is defined as hatred based on "race, colour, descent, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin."
The proposals will also clamp down on racist web sites, outlawing "public dissemination of racist material by any means, including the Internet."
Conservatives, civil liberties groups and several legal scholars criticized the measure as ill-thought out.
It could be argued that keeping such texts available would be educational in a historical sense and would show social attitudes of society at certain points in history. Also, erasing such books would be the equivalent to censorship (cue: comparisons to the burning of the books by the Nazis in the 1930s).
There were similar stories about the EU-wide adoption of the European Convention of Human Rights which did lead to a few 'stupid' cases, but generally seems to have worked well.
It will be interesting to see if it ever happens and if so, the text and how wide open it will be to interpretation at a national level...
VRN
The Nazis did not have to contend with the Internet. I think we may safely assume that technology has made censorship a practical impossibility. If adopted, all this law will do is make the Euros look stupid. IMO.
More reasons to be glad that, even with the liberals (and associated "civil libertarians") we have, we're light-years ahead of the entire European continent.
:) ttt
I fail to see how, from this article, the OT would be "bannable" under this proposed legislation? How could it be considered "racist"?
Neither do I - I think this is just a way for CSNS and the money hungry Brent Bozzell to scare up some more donations.
Additionally, the banning of the Jewish holy books is nothing new for Europe. For long periods of time over the past 1,500 years the Talmud (rabbinical commentary on the 5 Books of Moses) was banned and, when (pre-printing press, hand-made) copies were found, they were burned (many times along with their owner).
TIA,
:) ttt
It has some awfully un-PC things to say about certain very PC lifestyles. The only reason the Bible has not been banned in most Western countries is because it is the Bible.
This is why, wherever free speech is concerned, I am an unreserved libertarian. You find my speech, writings, whatever offensive? Don't listen to/read/look at them. Or better yet, logically prove that I am an idiot....
"Ill-thought out"? Wow! Is that hitting below the belt or what? (sarcasim)
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